• Twenty-four percent of the jobs in the industry were in managerial and professional occupations, a higher proportion than in any other manufacturing industry.
• Most firms are small, employing fewer than 10 people.
• Computerization is changing or eliminating occupations, resulting in a slight decline in projected employment.

This industry includes a number of segments (table 1). Commercial printing establishments, which print newspaper inserts, catalogs, pamphlets, and advertisements, make up the largest segment of the industry, accounting for 36 percent of employment and 50 percent of total establishments. Newspapers are the next largest sector, with 29 percent of industry employment. The greeting card segment is the smallest, accounting for only 2 percent of employment and less than 1 percent of total establishments.

Printing and publishing is a large industry composed of many shops which vary in size. Almost 7 of every 10 printing shops employ 10 or fewer workers (see chart). These small printing shops often are referred to as “job shops,” because what they print is determined by the needs of their customers.

There are five printing methods that use plates or some other form of image carrier— lithography, letterpress, flexography, gravure, and screen-printing. Plateless or nonimpact processes, such as electronic, electrostatic, or inkjet printing, are mainly used for copying, duplicating, and specialty printing, usually in quick or in-house print shops.

Lithography, which uses the basic principle that water repels oil, remains the dominant printing process in the industry. Lithography lends itself to computer composition and the economical use of color, accounting for its dominance. In the future, flexography and gravure are expected to be more widely used. Flexography produces vibrant colors with little ruboff, qualities valued for newspapers, directories, and books, which are its biggest markets. Gravure’s high-quality reproduction, flexible pagination and formats, and consistent print quality has won it a significant share of packaging and product printing and a growing share of periodical printing. In response to environmental concerns, printers increasingly use alcohol-free solutions, water-based inks, and recycled paper.

The printing industry, like many other industries, continues undergoing technological change, as computers and technology alter the manner in which work is performed. Many of the processes that were once done by hand are becoming more automated. Technology’s influence can be seen in all three stages of printing: prepress, preparation of materials for printing; press, the actual printing process; and postpress or finishing, the folding, binding, and trimming of printed sheets into final form. The most notable changes have occurred in the prepress stage. Instead of cutting and pasting articles by hand, entire publications now are produced on a computer, complete with artwork and graphics. Columns can be displayed and arranged on the computer screen exactly as they will appear in print, and then printed. Nearly all prepress work is expected to be computerized by 2010, and workers will need more training in electronics, computers, and mathematics.

Many segments of the publishing industry produce their products electronically. For example, many periodicals, books, and promotional materials can be found on the Internet, on CD-ROM, and on audio and videotapes. This expansion into nonprint media is expected to continue as the Internet heralds a new era in the printing and publishing industry. Individuals now design their own work on the Internet and, consequently, have a reader base of millions. As a result, the market for the design and development of Internet pages and publications is growing significantly.

Working conditions vary by occupation. For example, press operators work in noisy environments and often wear ear protectors. On the other hand, typesetters and compositors usually work in quiet, clean, air-conditioned offices. Most printing work involves dealing with fine detail, which can be tiring both mentally and physically. Fortunately, with the advanced technology in machinery, there is not as much strain on the eyes as in the past.

Even with more safety enhanced machinery, some workers still are subject to occupational hazards. Platemakers, for example, may work with toxic chemicals that can cause skin irritations, and press operators work with rapidly moving machinery that can cause injuries. In 1999, work-related injuries and illnesses were 5.0 per 100 full-time workers, much lower than the 9.2 percent rate for manufacturing as a whole. Blankbooks, such as ledgers and notebooks, and bookbinding had the highest incidence of injury and illness, with 6.3 cases per 100 full-time employees. In recent years, however, working conditions have become less hazardous as the industry has become more automated. Also, companies are using fewer chemicals and solutions than in the past and are experiencing fewer equipment-related accidents.

Specialized printing occupations comprise 23 percent of industry employment and are located in the prepress, press, and binding or postpress stages of printing. Almost all jobs in the printing industry require at least a high school education. Additional training and cross training is becoming increasingly necessary as the industry continues to automate. It often is beneficial to receive training in mathematics, electronics, and computers.

Prepress technicians and workers—including typesetting and composing machine operators, and photoengraving and lithographic machine operators—prepare material for printing presses. Included among their tasks are composing text, designing page layout, photographing text and pictures, and making printing plates. Precision compositors and typesetters set up and arrange type by hand or by computer into a galley for printing. Job printers set type according to copy, read proof copy for errors and clarity, and correct mistakes. Desktop publishers, using computer software, format and combine text, numerical data, photographs, charts, and other visual graphic elements to produce publication-ready material. Depending on the nature of a particular project, desktop publishers may write and edit text, create graphics to accompany text, convert photographs and drawings into digital images and then manipulate those images, design page layouts, typeset and do color separation, and translate electronic information onto film or other traditional forms for production.

Traditionally, camera operators—who are classified as line camera operators, halftone operators, or color separation photographers—start the process of making a lithographic plate by photographing and developing negatives of the material to be printed. Scanner operators employ electronic or computerized scanning equipment to produce and screen film separations of photographs or art to use in lithographic printing plates. Operators review all work and adjust the equipment if they need to make corrections to the original. Lithographic dot etchers retouch negatives by sharpening or reshaping the images on the negatives. They work by hand, using chemicals, dyes, and special tools. Film strippers cut the film to required size and arrange and tape the pieces of negatives onto “flats,’’ or layout sheets, used to make press plates. Platemakers produce printing plates by exposing sensitized metal sheets to special light through a photographic negative. Some platemakers operate machines that process the plates automatically. In letterpress and gravure printing, photoengravers photograph copy, develop negatives, and prepare photosensitized metal plates for use.

When the material is ready, printing machine operators install and adjust the printing plate, mix fountain solution, adjust pressure, ink the presses, load paper, and adjust the presses to paper size. Operators also must correct any problems that might occur during a press run.

Technology is rapidly changing the nature of many traditional press and prepress occupations. Manual film handling is quickly becoming the exception rather than the rule. Typesetters, platemakers, paste up workers, and film strippers are being replaced with workers who have mastered desktop publishing and the electronic aspects of the various printing processes. While a camera negative was used in the past to produce plates of images, those images are increasingly being recorded by computerized photographic devices.

During the binding or postpress stage, the printed sheets are transformed into products such as books, catalogs, magazines, or directories. Bookbinders assemble books from large, flat, printed sheets of paper. They cut, saw, and glue parts to bind new books and perform other finishing operations, such as decorating and lettering, often using handtools.

A small number of bookbinders work in hand binderies. These highly skilled workers design original or special bindings for publications with limited editions, or restore and rebind rare books. In many shops, bindery workers do much of the work. They fasten sheets or signatures together using a machine stapler and feed signatures into various machines for stitching, folding, or gluing.

In addition to these specialized printing occupations, office and administrative support workers, marketing and sales workers, professional and related occupations, and management, business, and financial operations workers also are employed in significant numbers in the printing and publishing industry. One occupation becoming more common is customer service representative, who tracks the various processes of production and acts as liaison between clients and technicians. The representative ensures the customer’s satisfaction with the timely delivery of a high-quality product.

Establishments engaged in publishing newspapers, periodicals, books, and other miscellaneous items employ the greatest numbers of professional and related occupations, particularly reporters, writers, editors, artists, and sales occupations. These positions usually require a college education.

News analysts, reporters, and correspondents gather information and prepare stories that inform us about local, State, National, and international events. They collect and analyze facts about events by interview, investigation, or observation and write stories for newspapers and magazines. Writers develop fiction and nonfiction for books, magazines, trade journals, and newspapers. Editors supervise writers and select, plan, and prepare the contents of books, magazines, or newspapers. Graphic designers use a variety of print and film media to create and execute art that meets a client’s needs. They increasingly use computers to lay out and test various designs, patterns, and colors before printing a final design. Finally, sales workers promote and sell a printer’s or publisher’s product.

Helpers generally have a high school or vocational school background, and management trainees may have a college background. Formal graphic arts programs, offered by community and junior colleges and some 4-year colleges, provide an introduction to the industry. Training in desktop publishing is particularly useful. Bachelor’s degree programs in graphic arts prepare persons who may want to enter management, and 2-year programs provide technical skills. A bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, or English provides a good background for those wishing to become reporters or writers. Experience on school newspapers and internships with news organizations are also beneficial.

As the industry continues to become more computerized, most workers will need a working knowledge of computers. Courses in electronics and computer technology are beneficial for anyone entering the industry, and some employers will offer tuition assistance or continuing education classes.

In the past, apprenticeships were quite common for specialized printing occupations. Now, workers usually are trained informally on the job. Hand bookbinders are one exception. These workers usually need a 4-year apprenticeship to learn the craft of restoring rare books and producing valuable collector items.

The length of on-the-job training needed to learn skills varies by occupation and shop. For example, press operators begin as helpers and advance to press operators after years of training. Bindery workers begin by doing simple tasks such as moving paper from cutting machines to folding machines. Workers learn how to operate more complicated machinery within a few months. Training often is given under the close supervision of an experienced or senior employee. Through experience and training, workers may advance to more responsible positions. Workers usually begin as helpers, advance to skilled craft jobs, and eventually may be promoted to supervisor. Reporters and writers may advance to editors or supervising reporters.

Opportunities for advancement depend on the specific plant or shop. Technological changes will continue to introduce new types of computerized equipment or dictate new work procedures. Workers with computer and mechanical aptitude are especially in demand, so proper training or retraining will be essential to careers in printing and publishing.

The principal union in this industry is the Graphic Communications International Union. About 8.6 percent of employees are union members or are covered by a union contract, compared with 14.9 percent of workers throughout the economy, but this proportion varies greatly from city to city.

Employment in printing trade services is expected to decline because more companies are preparing printing and post-press in-house. Employment in newspapers also is expected to decline as more people choose to receive their news from non-print sources. Newspapers also will continue to face strong competition for advertising dollars from direct-mail advertising, which targets specific types of consumers in a more cost-effective manner. Many newspapers are responding by featuring specialized products and services for specific segments of the population. Employment in commercial printing and business forms companies is projected to decline as digital-printing technology allows more work to be produced in-house. Declining employment in blankbooks and bookbinding firms also reflects increasing productivity as binding operations become more mechanized.

Eleven percent growth, however, is expected in periodicals, spurred by increasing interest in professional, scientific, and technical journals, as well as special interest publications, such as health and fitness magazines. Similarly, employment in book publishing and greeting cards also should experience relatively slow growth, spurred by an increasing and aging population. Employment in miscellaneous publishing is expected to grow as the popularity of catalogs and mail order shopping fuel this sector. However, increased paper costs, consumer preferences, and the growth of online catalogs will result in fewer jobs than in past years.

Employment growth will differ among the various occupations in the printing and publishing industry, largely due to technological advances. Processes currently performed manually will be automated in the future, causing a shift from craft occupations to related occupations that perform the same function using electronic equipment. For example, employment of desktop publishing specialists is expected to increase much faster than the average for all occupations over the 2000-10 period as the elements of print production, including layout, design, and printing, increasingly are performed electronically. In contrast, demand for prepress technicians and workers who perform these tasks manually, including paste-up workers, photoengravers, camera operators, film strippers, and platemakers, is expected to decline. Job printers, however, are expected to experience growth as some firms contract out typesetting and composition work to small shops, where job printers are primarily employed. In response to the growth in electronic printing, employment of press operators is expected to grow very little, as are bookbinders and bindery workers.

New technology and equipment will require workers to update their skills to remain competitive in the job market. For example, paste-up workers will have to learn how to lay out pages using a computer. The concepts and principles behind page layout and design are the same, but the workers will have to learn how to perform their work using different tools. As the industry continues to modernize and delivery of content takes on new forms, a greater diversity of workers will be needed, including engineers, marketing specialists, graphic artists, and computer specialists. Workers who develop content—writers and editors, reporters and correspondents, photographers, artists, and designers—as well as those who sell advertising, are less likely to be affected by advances in printing technology and competition from nonprint media such as the Internet. In fact, because Web site content is updated more often than that in print media, employment requirements may increase for workers who develop content.

For general information on careers and training programs in printing, contact:

• Bindery Industries Association, 70 East Lake St., #300, Chicago, IL 60601.
• Graphic Communications Council, 1899 Preston White Dr., Reston, VA 20191. Internet: http://www.npes.org/education/index.html
• Graphic Arts Technical Foundation, 200 Deer Run Rd., Sewickley, PA 15143. Internet: http://www.gatf.org
• Graphic Communications International Union, 1900 L St. NW., Washington, DC 20036. Internet: http://www.gciu.org
• National Association of Printers and Lithographers, 75 W. Century Rd., Paramus, NJ 07652. Internet: http://www.napl.org
• Printing Industries of America, 100 Daingerfield Rd., Alexandria, VA 22314. Internet: http://www.gain.org/servlet/gateway/PIA_GATF/non_index.html

Information on most occupations in the printing and publishing industry, including the following, may be found in the 2002-03 Occupational Outlook Handbook:

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